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Stream these horror films now: AGBO creatives’ top 10
By AGBO STAFF
For filmmakers with a penchant for genre, it’s impossible not to conjure up a list of horror films to watch once Halloween season kicks off. Frightening films have a way of making their mark, whether it’s the shock of the slashes in Psycho, the chill of Jack Nicholson’s voice in The Shining, or the menacing score of Jaws — there’s a reason that these images endure in our mind’s eye long after the lights come on.
To celebrate Halloween this year, we surveyed AGBO creatives to tell us which scary films are on their watch lists right now. From the haunting streets of Venice in Don’t Look Now to the ominous beaches of Amity Island in Jaws, these ten films are guaranteed to not only transport you for a couple of hours, but also teach you a lesson or two about how to build tension, create a jump scare, and tell a story your audiences won’t soon forget.
Dim the lights, grab some popcorn, and queue up one of these films for a spooky night of movie perfection.
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A favorite of both master film editor Jeff Ford and Ryan Verniere, AGBO’s SVP of Story, John Carpenter’s The Thing is an alien monster film like no other. Based on the 1938 story “Who Goes There,” it stars Kurt Russell as a helicopter pilot who, along with a bunch of researchers at a remote Antarctica base, discovers an alien creature that assimilates and then imitates other organisms. Needless to say, trust issues arise pretty quickly, as the group tries to conquer a foe that can take on any form. ”It’s a perfect film,” says Verniere. Watch on Peacock.
This 1999 film about a trio of film students lost in the woods established the found footage genre. “It not only tricked everyone into thinking it was real when it first came out,” says Etan Marciano, AGBO’s Mythology Coordinator, “but it was and still is one of the most legitimately scary movies of all time. The last shot still haunts me.” Watch on Max.
“A tense film I loved recently was Coming Home in the Dark,” Kassee Whiting, EVP of film, says of the movie. “It’s from a New Zealand filmmaker, James Ashcroft, and it’s available on Netflix. James is a master at creating tension from what is happening off camera as much as on camera.” Watch on Netflix.
Nicholas Roeg’s 1973 thriller starring Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie still shocks. “It blazed the path for the psychological thriller/horror genre,” says Branton Choi, physical production coordinator. It's really a movie about processing grief. The ending is an all-timer.” Watch on Prime.
Steven Spielberg’s Jaws set the standard for all creature horror films, and this nature vs. man saga is one we are still learning lessons from today. Perfect casting, an iconic score, on-location filming – it’s a classic to rewatch any time of the year. Watch on Netflix.
A mashup of sci-fi and horror, Ridley Scott’s 1979 film spurred a long line of copy cats who tried to capture its cerebral spaceship vibe. With its unforgettable creature, designed by HR Giger, and one of the best splatter scares ever made (aka the chestburster scene), it remains terrifying even after repeated viewings. But really it’s the strong female protagonist that we love, as Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley wins our hearts every time. Watch on Prime.
Two strangers wake up in a room and have no idea how they got there. So begins, Saw, by James Wan and Leigh Whannell, which “popularized the torture porn genre in the 2000s,” explains Branton Choi. The film went on to be one of the highest grossing horror movies of all time, spurring many sequels and lots of copycats. Not for the faint at heart. Watch it on Hulu.
A return to more traditional horror plot filled with possessions and demons, Insidious was “made on a shoestring budget as a counter to criticism of the SAW franchise being all about gore.” says Choi. Ushering in the Blumhouse era of horror movies, it stars Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne as the perplexed parents of a young son who becomes a vessel for ghosts to enter our world. Watch it on Max.
Horror films are often a vehicle for social commentary – tapping into our most intimate fears and exploring the darkest sides of our zeitgeist. Jordan Peele’s directorial debut, Get Out, does this brilliantly, in this subtle yet deeply disturbing story about a young Black man meeting his white girlfriend’s family for the first time. Nothing is as it seems: The visit quickly turns into a living nightmare that brilliantly captures the undercurrents of racism in America. Watch it on Peacock.
Horror is a great genre to discover new voices in filmmaking and we love Carlota Martinez-Pereda’s Piggy. The winner of the 2020 AGBO’s Slamdance Fellowship, Martinez-Pereda’s feature directorial debut is based on a short film of the same name about an overweight, bullied teen who unwittingly becomes an accomplice to a serial killer in her small holiday village. Watch it on Hulu.
Want more movie recommendations? See Jeff Ford’s Top Ten Favorite Films.
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